The transmission of digital video is a driving force in the growth of networking and the Internet. Video is also driving the expansion of wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) transport networks that transmit data at a maximum rate of 10.3125 Gigabits per second (Gbps) per wavelength. A popular digital video interconnect interface is HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), which is a digital alternative to consumer analog standards such as radio frequency, coaxial cable and so on. HDMI is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data. HDMI cables can connect digital audio/video sources including but not limited to set-top boxes, DVD players, Blu-ray players, personal computers, etc. to compatible digital audio/video devices, computer monitors, and digital televisions, etc. HDMI version 1.3 and 1.4 can transmit digital data at rates up to 10.2 Gbps but a typical HDMI cable length is less than ten meters. Although no maximum length for an HDMI cable is specified, signal attenuation limits useable lengths in practice. In practice HDMI cables rarely exceed twenty-five feet.
The SFP (small form-factor pluggable) module is a compact transceiver used for telecommunication and data communications applications. It typically interfaces a network device motherboard for a switch, router or media converter to a fiber optic or copper networking cable. SFP transceivers support a number of communications standards including SONET, Ethernet Fibre Channel and others. SFP+ is an enhanced small form-factor pluggable module that supports data rates up to 10 Gbps. Its low cost makes widespread adoption of the 10 GE (10 Gigabit Ethernet) standard more attractive.